Body Shaming and Racism within the LGBT+ Community

This is something I been meaning to write about for some time and talk about as it seems the LGBT+ community is just as bad with discriminating against people of color and those that are overweight as the straight community does.

Seriously if you Google search gay pride events and look at the pictures you see a predominance of white males and they are muscular or skinny. For a group of people who know what it is like to be discriminated against, it is really sad to see this kind of racism and body shaming going on within the community and just by pictures alone. You know the old saying “A picture’s worth a thousand words.”

Why is that this community can discriminate so much? I get sexual appeal and some people aren’t attracted to people that are overweight but some people are into bears or people with a little meat on their bones. Shit, a friend of mine in the UK was messaging me telling me they have body conscience issues too cause they put on a bit of weight but looking at him you couldn’t tell he has. But even that kind of body shaming is just wrong.

I don’t get why people have such an issue with people if they are a little overweight or thin. As the picture I use shows, body shaming goes both ways. It’s unnatural and mentally unhealthy for people to body shame. Even I get body shamed at times. Not like I intended to get overweight, it just happened. I stopped being active as I was in an area that I wasn’t familiar with and didn’t feel safe walking around on my own. Not that my ex would’ve cared, didn’t seem to care much about any of my insecurities. Course in the end it was my own fault for not getting out much but still, I had my reasons but I shouldn’t be shamed for trying to take care of myself and not go out and get hurt or possibly attacked.

I think people need to stop with the body shaming. I get it that it doesn’t appeal to everyone but don’t make someone feel like they are crap just cause they aren’t your type.

As for the racism, I just don’t get it. I personally am not turned on by black men or people of my own race and prefer white men but I still don’t think that should mean that every photo should be of just white men. It’d be nice to see some of my own race, I’m half Puerto Rican, in pride event photos or other nationalities. There are people who are into people of color. Why are they excluded? Why ca’t they be included so that people can see them? I don’t get it. I just don’t get it.